


God's Garden

by siximpossiblethings



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Drabble, Ficlet, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-23
Updated: 2012-12-23
Packaged: 2017-11-22 03:36:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/605396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siximpossiblethings/pseuds/siximpossiblethings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel convinces Dean to stop by the Seattle botanical gardens, which proves to be an education experience.</p>
            </blockquote>





	God's Garden

**Author's Note:**

> written for the "30 days of writing challenge" i'm doing. the prompt was "knowledge" thanks to jess for being an angel and beta'ing. title comes from Robert Frost's poem "God's Garden". i tried my best to be as accurate as possible with the plant information and all, so i apologize for any incorrect facts. enjoy!

“It’s so,” Dean pauses. He’s searching through his brain for the proper word, looking up dusty corners and what not. “Red,” is what he finally decides on, ignoring the word’s lackluster quality for just a moment.

“Yes, it is,” Castiel says, eyes locked on the tree’s vibrant leaves. “It’s a Japanese maple tree.” His face is serious, (like it ever isn’t) as if he’s convinced he has found the fountain of youth or something in the foliage. Dean shouldn’t be surprised; Cas never had shown the slightest intent of lightening up, not even for his precious plants.

They’re in Seattle, just passing through to reach a case in Oregon by the next day. Even Dean could get a little sick of constantly being behind the wheel. He’d opted for a break, both for some breathing space and to stretch his legs.

“You know,” Cas had said, his rough and gravelly voice sounding from the backseat. “The University of Washington has quite an extensive collection of plant life. If we have time we should stop by the botanical gardens.”

Sam, never missing an opportunity to display just how much of a nerd he was really was, had agreed with him. Something about pine trees that he was interested in. It was at times like these where Dean’s mind regressed back to his old twelve year old way of thinking, when he was convinced that Sam was adopted.

So that was how Dean Winchester had ended up looking at Japanese trees and jasmine plants. A hunter in a garden was like seeing the head cheerleader reading up on parametric equations in the school library. If he got lucky, maybe there’d be a food court to swing by.

“Why is it red?” Dean asks, mind returning to the present. “Aren’t trees supposed to be green? It’s not like it’s fall or anything.” It’s the middle of May, the light heat prickling at the back of his neck like a lover’s whisper.

“Most maples keep their leaves red year round. Not all, but most do. These are a breed that takes part in that.” Castiel continues to walk onwards, following the premade dirt path left by previous visitors. The garden is rather empty for a Sunday afternoon, the sounds of birds chirping and bees buzzing. Fortunately Cas was able to fight off the urge to speak to them, sparing them from odd looks they would have received from the workers. Dean wasn’t in the mood to explain that, no, of course his friend wasn’t insane; just a bit friendly when it came to insects.

Dean gives a nod, acknowledging Castiel’s reply. He’s not entirely sure what to make of the new Cas, the one who speaks to bugs, who shoots off facts about plants and animals like it’s nobody’s business. He doesn’t know what to say, how to act. This isn’t the Castiel who raised him from Hell; this is the Castiel who has been through Hell himself. Dean would try and laugh at whatever quirky thing he spit out, because while Cas’s sudden child like personality could be viewed as funny to some, to Dean, well, laughing was the only way he could stop himself from crying.

They’ve wandered over to a different side of the garden, walking in a silence that isn’t exactly uncomfortable, but not really welcome either. The maples are still there, although they’re now intermixed with other plants, which Dean is clueless to, but he’s sure that Castiel knows all about them, even down to what type of soil they need and the damn preferred pH level.

“Did you know that they’re often called ‘momiji’ or ‘kaede’?” Cas is entranced, his blue eyes glued to the plants in front of him as if they’re searching for something, desperately so. “Kaede, coming from another word that escapes me at the moment. But it refers to the palm of a frog. The Japanese saw a resemblance between the two.”

Dean begins to really look at the plants, examining the way the leaves are shaped and how they form a big red cloud when looked at from afar. And you know what? He sees it. He can see how those ancient Japanese people, caught up with their cherry blossoms and tea ceremonies, managed to see a similarity between the leaves of a maple tree and a frog’s toes. Maybe they knew something he didn’t…

“No, I didn’t,” Dean says, a warm smile spreading over his face. His eyes have shifted, looking at Castiel’s intent gaze on the trees. He looks back quickly, nodding his head slightly, the action almost barely noticeable.

…At least not yet.


End file.
